Winter Stamp
by Whiteface Spades
Summary: AKA: D.Gray-man for N00bs. When an Innocence fragment is detected in Russia, the Order sends Lavi, Allen, and Kanda to retrieve it. But it isn't the cold or the akuma that's hard on them: it's being with each other. One-shot. Slight Laven if you squint.


_((A/N: Welcome, dear reader, to yet another work of DGM. This was a parody that I wrote for my Creative Writing class, and I love the way it came out. As such, I have elected to publish it for your enjoyment. Please note that much about the characters is explained because it was written for someone who is not familiar with DGM and its characters and plot. A great deal of this is dialogue from the many roleplays I have been involved in, but all of it is my own. Now then, I present to you Winter Stamp, a tale of teamwork and trials._

_Note: some Russian-speaking on Lavi's part and slightly out-of-character behavior from Kanda, Lavi, and Allen.))_

_------_

Something is festering in the heart of nineteenth century Russia. Something cold, something evil is growing there. People are dying. Towns and villages are burning. The senseless violence is taking the country over, and fear is driving people out of Russia by the trainload. Some say it is witchcraft, others say that the devil has come, and still others believe that it is Judgment day and that God is going to rid the world of the sinners. Everything is being overturned, every nook and cranny being searched for something. But what? Who can try to fight back when no one knows what is doing these things? What evil is feeding upon the carnage and destruction ravaging Russia?

Those who know, those who suspect that they have the answer, are called the Black Order. They are preparing an assault upon the evil force lying in wait in the tundra of Russia. Their soldiers, exorcists, are prepared with weapons unlike any that this world has seen. Who will be the victor in this land of snow and danger?

------

"Wait…where?!" the samurai looked down at the smug-looking man sitting behind the desk, his dark eyes burning with hatred and shock. "Did I hear you right, jerk?!"

"Eheh, sorry Kanda. You heard me right. The Order needs you to go to Russia to retrieve an Innocence fragment."

"Tch," the one called Kanda narrowed his pitch-black eyes coldly and looked away from the man, flicking what long pieces of his black hair, which was bound by a chord of twisted red strings in a tight ponytail atop his head, that he had left down over his shoulders in the process. "Fine, Komui-san, I'll go. But I won't like it." The bells on the ends of the chord jingled softly with every movement that he made, which annoyed him much more than he would admit. His pale skin was tinted orange by the flame from a nearby oil lamp, making him look scarier than he usually was. Warm as it was, it did little to comfort him; the though of going to such a cold place sent shivers tearing down his spine. Kanda crossed his arms in front of his slender chest and grumbled a soft curse.

"Awwh, don't be like that, Yuu~!" a casual voice chirped. A long arm slid around Kanda's neck as the owner of that voice dropped their chin onto his right shoulder. Kanda gave a feral snarl and tried to shake the figure off.

"Baka Usagi!" the samurai sneered. "Get your hands off of me!"

"I suggest you do as he says, Lavi, before you get your head torn off," The man that Kanda had addressed as Komui stated, tapping the bottom of the black folder in his hands upon the desktop.

"Eh, fine. What's up, Komui?" the redheaded Lavi grinned as he released the very angry Kanda. Komui began his lengthy explanation that their organization, needed a group of exorcists to retrieve a shard of Innocence from the Russian tundra. Lavi scratched at the eye patch covering his right eye, then blinked his left eye a few times and furrowed his brows, allowing the information to sink in. He leaned casually against the wall and rested his hands behind his head in his characteristic manner, giving a small sigh and hiding his face in the orange scarf bound around his neck. "'Course we'll go, chief. But who'll be going besides me and Kanda? Your sister, Lenalee, can't go to Russia ; she'd freeze to death in seconds, the frail little flower that she is!"

Komui grimaced. "I know," he stated, pushing the white beret back on his head. "That's why I'm waiting on—"

"AH!" another exorcist burst through the door to the office, his silver eyes wide and his white hair messy. "Sumimasen, Komui-sama! I am terribly sorry that I am so late!" he bowed low in a typical apology, his arms folded neatly by his sides. Komui laughed, Kanda flinched, and Lavi's eye began to sparkle: it was Allen Walker, the Black Order's newest critical and youngest exorcist.

"Allen~!" Lavi draped both arms over the younger exorcist's shoulders and rested his chin upon his head, nuzzling contently into the white strands of his hair. Allen, who was considerably shorter than the redhead, blinked up at his ally with his wide silver eyes.

"L-Lavi-san? Are you here to talk about the mission, too?" His hands, covered by white gloves, swatted Lavi away with little effort, and he quickly brushed them through his hair to smooth it all back into place. The redhead grinned and rested an elbow on Allen's left shoulder and leaned against him casually.

Kanda, flustered at the sudden appearance of the white-haired exorcist, turned his anger onto Komui. "Does this mean--?!"

"Hai, hai," Komui smiled, handed the black file to Allen and picked up his coffee mug, taking a sip from it before turning his eyes back onto the exorcists. "Lavi, Kanda, and Allen will be heading to Russia together."

Komui's scream of terror as Kanda unleashed an all-out verbal assault echoed around the entire castle.

------

Their train departed on time, chugging away from the platform with quiet huffs and puffs of smoke billowing from the smoke stack. Allen, tired and sore from the long boat ride required to get from England to the shore of France, was slumped against the window of their cabin with an uninterested look plastered to his pale face. His redheaded companion was looking out the window with interest, his single green eye noting every rock and tree that whirled by. Kanda sat by the cabin door, a cold scowl set upon his face.

"Russia , huh?" Allen eventually murmured, resting his chin in his hands. "I can imagine how there would be an Innocence there…it's such a large country, after all."

"Hai," Lavi agreed, leaning back in his seat and resting his hands comfortably behind his head. "I can't say that I'm thrilled to be going there, but traveling like this is definitely the way to do it! First class and everything! No one else on this train even needs to know that there are exorcists aboard!"

"Hmph," Kanda grumbled, looking away from the two. How they bothered him…he gritted his teeth and rested his elbow upon the armrest at his side, then put his chin in his hand and closed his eyes in a desperate attempt to sleep. He had to find some way to block out the idiots' idle chatter…didn't he?

Allen yawned and hugged his traveling trunk to his chest, placing his cheek against the smooth leather and allowing his eyes to close. "Wake me in a few hours…" he quickly fell into a light sleep, rocked soothingly by the motion of the train.

------

It was nearly nightfall when a guard came through their cabin, giving a polite bow to the exorcists as he passed. "Evening, sirs," he said. Lavi nodded to him and flashed him an award-winning smile.

"Evenin', mister," the redhead spoke. "Any trouble on the train?"

"Nothing at all, sir," the man replied. "I was just coming to check on the first class passengers, see if you needed anything at all. Is there anything that I could get for you?"

"Nothin' at all~" Lavi paused, then hesitantly added, "But a book would be nice. Or a newspaper…just something' that I can memorize." The man blinked, seemingly confused by the request, then walked to the back of the car for a moment. He returned with the requested paper, and handed it to Lavi with some uncertainty. The redhead murmured his thanks and flicked it open, sighing with content as his single green eye began scanning the pages quickly.

"Is the paper, ah, riveting for you to read, sir?" the guard asked quietly, holding up his lantern to shed some light on the newspaper. Lavi looked up at him as a smile formed on his lips.

"Have you heard of the Bookman clan, mister?" he asked. He chuckled at the man's confused look. "I don't think so, judging by the look in your eyes. Allow me to explain," The redhead folded up the newspaper and rested it on the seat next to him, turning his full attention onto the now very engaged guard. "A Bookman is someone who records the hidden history of the world. We work with the Black Order to record things and give our insight from past incidents."

"Sounds very interesting, sir," the guard nodded his head. "You must know a lot of different languages, then. Have you seen many things, Bookman? Golly, you're so young!" Lavi laughed.

"I'm only eighteen, mister! I can read and speak too many languages to remember, but I'm still in training; my master knows much more stuff than I do!"

"I see!" the man gave a hearty laugh and clapped Lavi on the shoulder. "I have a son who is your age! Ah, speaking of family, I've got to get back to mine! I wish you luck wherever you are going, Bookman-in-training!" Lavi flashed another award-winning smile. Thank God that he now had something to put his mind to work on…he reopened the newspaper and began reading it once more, then stopped when he read the headline on the front page. His blood ran cold and his single eye narrowed: "'Fear Strangling Russia', eh…? What have we stepped into?"

"You're going to Russia, sir? What could the Black Order want--" There was a quiet thump on the top of the car, the sound barely audible to the untrained ear. Kanda was instantly on his feet, startling the guard, who had been completely unaware that the Japanese exorcist was awake.

"What was that?"

"Not sure," Lavi stood, eying the ceiling with apprehension. There was silence for a few tense moments, then a loud crash and the sound of breaking glass split the stillness and jolted the entire car. A grotesque figure, large a menacing, loomed out of the darkness at the trio and gave a blood-curdling roar. Its armored skin glinted in the light of the guard's lantern, as did the harsh-looking claws that topped its human-like hands and feet. The shaking guard backed into a nearby wall, sweat dripping from his brow like water from the edge of a melting icicle; he clutched the lantern feebly in his trembling hands.

"An akuma!" there was a deafening bang; a heavy-looking iron hammer with black and white stripes had slammed into the creature's face, smashing its armor and sending it bowling claws over tail down the car's corridor. It got up, dazed, and gave a frustrated howl that became a word: "Exorcist!"

"Yes~" Lavi twirled the large hammer as though it weighed little more than a feather. "I am your nemesis. Come, tortured soul. Do battle with me~" the akuma screeched and leaped forward, claws extended like an angry cat's.

"I'll kill you, exorcist! I'll kill you in the name of the Earl!" the creature hissed, slamming the redheaded exorcist into the wall and curling its long, heavy tail around his middle, pinning his arms and sending his incredible hammer flying. It gave a low growl before effortlessly tossing the Bookman-in-training down the hallway; Lavi winced, but gave little more of a reaction.

_ 'Guess it'll be lights out if I can't reach my hammer in time...' _The akuma howled triumphantly and leaped at the fallen exorcist, preparing for the sweet taste of blood in its mouth.

"Lavi…!" Its attention diverted by the softly-whispered name, the akuma paused in its charge to look to its left. Allen Walker stood in the doorway, his arms and legs bound by white strips of cloth that snaked up his limbs like vines in time-lapse photography. The fabric released the boy's legs and began to swell, growing into a long, elegant white cloak that flowed around his slim figure like water. A fluffy white hood with three small tails settled over his head, and a heavy silver mask slid over his eyes like a visor upon a knight's helmet. The left sleeve of this impressive cloak rolled up to reveal a black arm decorated with white, spiraling tattoos and a silver crown that curled around the wrist like a brace. Cold black claws, long and steely, replaced the fingers of his left hand. The akuma grunted and took another leap for Lavi, only to make a noise like a surprised bullfrog when its claws met metal rather than flesh. Allen had leaped between the creature and Lavi in a flurry of white fur and fabric, and had parried the akuma's claws with his own heavy black ones. "Crown Edge…" He pushed back against the akuma to distance himself enough to execute one of his strongest attacks: "Edge End!"

Lavi chuckled softly and staggered to his feet. Allen never ceased to amaze Lavi; he could show up late to any battle and bring it to an end without even trying. The stunned redhead had seen a lot of things in his day, and his one eye had memorized them and written them down on the paper of his mind, but nothing was like Allen's Innocence: nothing was like the Crowned Clown.

Allen wordlessly stepped forward and rested his clawed hand upon the akuma's head, mumbling soft things to the broken creature. "Rest in peace, you poor soul..." he spoke, tapping the creature's forehead with his index claw as white orbs formed there and beside its feet. "May God finally welcome your tortured spirit home..." The exorcist pulled his claw down, connecting the two orbs. The akuma sighed as a white cross formed around it, breaking its form up into little more than an unrecognizable shadow which quickly faded to nothing.

------

"You were careless," Allen eventually spoke, staring blankly at Lavi, who chuckled nervously and averted his gaze.

"I was," he replied, fidgeting uncomfortably beneath the other exorcist's stare. Allen smiled and nudged the redhead's shoulder, "Don't do that again, please."

"Wh-what was that thing, sirs?" the stunned guard squeaked, peeling himself off of the wall of their small cabin, which they had tidied up without even noticing him.

"That was an akuma, mister," Lavi explained. "It is an evolving machine that does the Millennium Earl's bidding." the man's blank stare made Lavi backtrack, a hint of amusement in his casual voice. "The Millennium Earl is the Black Order's archenemy. It is his goal to destroy the world and the God that we all worship."

"A-And that hammer of yours, Sir Bookman," the man stammered. "What is--?"

"This is my Innocence," Lavi smiled as he held up the hammer, which had become much smaller than it was when he had attacked the akuma. "My weapon that I use to destroy akuma. It is named Tessei, but I call it _Ōzuchi Kozuchi, _and it can change to any size that I want!" He gave the hammer a twirl before replacing it in the holster upon its thigh. "Innocence, putting it simply, is God matter that was lost in the Great Flood mentioned in the bible. It has powers that are unique to the exorcist, or Accommodator, that wields it. Every exorcist synchronizes with an Innocence fragment, and each Innocence has a pre-decided Accommodator to wield it. My Innocence took the form of a hammer when we first synchronized, and Kanda's comes in the form of a katana called Mugen. Some exorcists are not as lucky as we are; Allen here is a Parasite-type exorcist. He was born with his Innocence inside of his body. Look," the redhead grabbed Allen's left hand and rolled up the sleeve of his heavy black trench coat, revealing an arm that was disfigured. The man shivered when Lavi removed the glove from the white-haired exorcist's hand; the flesh was stained a dark red, and the veins pressing against his skin forced it up in pulsing ridges that rimmed a glimmering black cross set in the back of his palm like the jewel in a ring.

"That cross is Allen's Innocence," Lavi explained, giving Allen's hand a pat before giving it back to him. "Don't worry; his skin only looks like that because he just used it. The veins and pulsing stuff should calm down in a few hours, but it will always be that nasty red color." Allen looked slightly offended at these words, "Now, Allen's Innocence has gone through several refining stages, but the form it is in right now allows him to synchronize with it at one-hundred percent capacity, making him a critical. Criticals are rare, you see, so the Millennium Earl is out to kill any criticals and exorcist Generals that he can find."

"O-Oh…not that this isn't interesting, sirs, but I had best return to my family…make sure that there are no more of those things on the train. Good evening to you all, and many thanks for ridding us of that…akuma." he made for the door, then paused and looked back at Allen, "You…so young…" he stifled himself and quickly exited the cabin, slamming the door shut behind him and hurrying down the hall. Kanda, displeased at the man's exiting maneuver, gave a soft growl that sounded like, "Moyashi scares everyone off…"

"It's Allen, idiot!" Allen quipped, shoving his hand back into his glove and giving Lavi a solid whack on the head for showing him off to the guard. Lavi, knowing that he deserved it, said nothing.

------

The remaining time passed slowly. Too slowly for Kanda's liking. He hated being stuck with these two idiots. Bored as he was now, sitting with his back to the cold wall of the train, he elected to think deeply on them and remember why he hated them so much...and try to find some redeeming qualities to them along the way.

First he thought about Lavi. Lavi was a womanizing Bookman-in-training who was only halfway allied to them as an exorcist. How he had even managed to synchronize with the Innocence that he wields was a wonder to the Japanese exorcist. Perhaps it was his outgoing character that spoke to Tessei, allowing them to have a weak synch that became a strong one with time. He did little more than battle and read. Kanda growled through clenched teeth; Lavi was only with them to record their happenings and the things they got involved in. He was a carefree, lackadaisical guy with a great (too great, in Kanda's opinion) sense of humor and an idiotic smile that was always plastered to his face. That was what frustrated him the most: Lavi's unstoppable smile.

Then his thoughts drifted to Allen Walker, and he had to clench his hands into fists to avoid giving away his thoughts with a growl or hiss. Allen was the biggest pain in the butt that could have become an exorcist. He was gentle, soft-spoken (but not to him, Kanda noted), honest, true of heart, and courageous. He joined the Order to kill akuma and send their souls to heaven, something he seemed to do with some righteousness, as if he was trying to save his soul by doing so. Kanda couldn't help but chuckle at this; was Allen condemned for this past? Good riddance to the Moyashi if he was. Sure, Allen was now one of the Order's strongest exorcists next to the exorcist Generals, but that did not mean that Kanda would bow down to him or treat him like he was any better. To get to the Moyashi's level, Kanda thought he would just need to train harder.

Now thoroughly disgusted with himself for thinking such stupid thoughts, Kanda proceeded to think of different scenarios in which Allen Walker and Lavi were killed by the Millennium Earl, his akuma, and the clan of Noah, who were human enemies of the Black Order.

------

The sun was barely coming up on the eleventh day when they pulled into the Russian station. Kanda strapped his Innocence to his back and narrowed his eyes coldly at the door of their cabin, not wanting to go out and be further exposed to the redheaded Bookman-to-be and the pale-faced, cursed bean sprout that was Allen Walker. He finally got up the nerve and stepped off of the train with his traveling trunk in his hand, his eyes narrowed against the chill in the air. Snow greeted him, swirling all around him in a playful way. He gave a quiet 'hmph' and stepped out into the cold of Russia, pushing a strand of his black hair out of his face. Allen followed him, giving a soft yawn as he stretched his arms up over his head. Lavi, who had exited the train before either of them, shouldered his traveling case and stared blankly at the quiet town, and the people looking back at him gave him stares that were almost as cold as the wind that was swirling around them. He frowned and turned his gaze onto his companions.

"So then, where did Komui say this Innocence fragment would be?" he chirped, trying to lighten the atmosphere by being cheerful.

"He didn't," Allen stated. "He just said to ask around."

"Ask around?!" Kanda barked, taking Allen's coat collar in his hands and violently shaking him. "How are we supposed to 'ask around' when Russia's so damn _big_, eh, Moyashi?!"

"It's Allen, jerk!"

"All right, calm down!" Lavi sighed and pushed the headband up on his forehead. "I read something in the paper about this place being in a state of fear. Apparently some towns have been leveled and a lot of people are dead. Let me see…" he began to walk, looking around the desolate town for something. The light in his eye burst to life when he caught sight of a map upon the train station wall; he breezed over to it and allowed his keen gaze to pour over it for a long time. Kanda and Allen were silent behind him, afraid to say anything and disturb his intense concentration. After much time had passed, Lavi gave a triumphant nod of his head and turned back to face them, a wicked gleam in his green eye. "We're in Moscow right now, yeah? The leveled towns were Tver, Kaluga, and Riazan," he pointed to them all in turn, "See? Tver is to the northwest, Kaluga is southwest of us, and Riazin is southeast. They are all at perfect points in relation to Moscow."

"So…whatever or whoever is burning these towns has a method?" Allen questioned, shouldering his trunk with a quiet grunt. Lavi nodded.

"They're looking for something," Kanda grumbled. "I'd bet that it's the Millennium Earl and his akuma. They must be here looking for the Innocence."

"If they didn't find it here, where would be the next logical place to look, according to Lavi's discovery about the placement of the cities?"

"Well…" Lavi poured over the map once more, his eye narrowing with concentration. "According to the map, if you were to draw a line through Tver and Riazin, it goes right through Moscow as well. Following that principle…draw a line through Moscow and Kaluga that continues up through the rest of the country, and the closest city that it goes through is…Rostoff." the three exorcists looked at each other, then silently exited the train station and hailed a coach.

The cities all formed a cross with Moscow at the center, an eerie sign from their tormenting foe.

------

Rostoff was an empty, quiet town where the chill hung in the air like overgrown Spanish moss dangles off of trees in warm-weather climates. The mood of the exorcists did not improve the chill; Kanda was sour from being around Lavi and Allen for this long a time period, Allen was tired of hearing so much Russian, and Lavi was bored of the mission. The three now stood in the town square, and Lavi was asking an old woman if she knew about the strange happenings around the other towns and Moscow.

"Вещи были странны где-то здесь, также, господа. _Things have been getting strange around here too, sirs._" the woman said. "Люди пропали без вести. Дома были сожжены дотла. Все уведенное без следа! _People have gone missing. Homes have been burned down. All gone without a trace!_"

"What is she saying?" Kanda asked, tired of feeling so outside the language barrier.

"She's saying that things here have been going missing," Lavi replied. "This really is the next town on the list." he looked back at the woman and smiled. "Когда эта деятельность начиналась? _When did this activity start?_"

"Две недели назад, сэр. _Two weeks ago, sir._" the old lady replied. Lavi nodded his head slowly, and she reached out to take one of his hands in hers. "Если Вы можете помочь нам, пожалуйста сделайте. Не оставляйте нас, священник Темного Заказа. Россия должна быть спасена. _If you can help us, please do. Do not forsake us, priest of the Dark Order. Russia must be saved._"

"Опасение нет. _Fear not._" Lavi stated, smiling down at her. She smiled back.

------

The moon always had a way of putting Allen in a daze. He brushed a strand of his white hair behind his ear, leaning his face into the early evening wind, blinking his silvery eyes shut as he reveled in it. He gave a small sigh as the wind whipped his heavy black coat around him. Why did he have to match the pale moon so well? It did not give off its own light, just reflected the light of another, bigger object in the galaxy. Why then was it more beautiful that the sun whose light it casts upon the Earth at night?

Couldn't he have been a little more...alive-looking?

He cast his gaze to the sky, watching the deep black void for any stars that would appear. "I match those too..." he mused, a small smile playing across his pale lips. As he stood upon that cold roof, he began to think about their mission and how truly lucky they had been so far. If the Earl was indeed responsible for the attacks on the towns and the deaths of those people, then he would certainly be on the offensive if he knew that exorcists had arrived in Rostoff. Their presence would also alert him to the Innocence, and if an akuma got to it before they could then all would be lost.

Snow on the breeze whipped around him, the flakes dancing around him like little puppets on strings of winter's chill. He gave a small giggle and turned his gaze to the town below him, watching the few people there as they went about their business. Another smile came to his lips as he leaned forward on the inn's porch; he couldn't help but feel joy touching the uneasiness and regret filling his soul. If they found the Innocence, then the town would be safe. He sighed again and ran a hand through his wind-tossed hair, pushing it back away from his forehead and revealing the scar and pentacle over his left eye.

"I fear I am getting lazy..." he chuckled softly. "Is there nothing to do but watch and wait...?"

"Moyashi~!" Allen suddenly found himself face-down in a pile of snow. Curse him for paying such little attention to his immediate surroundings!

"Lavi!" he cried, flailing helplessly in the snow. "Get off of me! I was thinking very hard, you know!"

"That's a change for you. I knew I smelled something burning~!" the redhead teased, removing his foot from Allen's head and allowing the other exorcist to get back on his feet. "What about?"

"It was nothing important," Allen mumbled as he turned back to look at the now empty street, slightly irritated by Lavi's lackadaisical aura. "Just...thinking," his eyes swept back over the village below them as he dusted snow off of the front of his uniform. He could feel Lavi's single green eye watching him, and it was making him very uncomfortable.

"...ne, you look cold, Moyashi," Allen flinched slightly as Lavi's arms slid around his middle, holding him in a warm hug. He could feel the other exorcist's heartbeat in his shoulder blades, as the hug came from behind rather than before him. "How long have you been out here? It isn't safe to be out tonight--you could catch your death of cold." Allen blushed slightly, allowing his hands to reach up and close around the redhead's forearms.

"I'm no Moyashi, I am Allen...!" he protested. A chuckle from Lavi, but nothing more. Little sound disturbed the cold air around them but the whistling of the wind and the occasional caw of a crow. Allen finally gave the other exorcist a decent answer, "...an hour or so. I was watching for any signs of akuma. There is some odd activity in that forest about two-hundred and fifty meters due west of us..."

"Well…all of the missing villagers and burned down houses were near there," Lavi yawned. "Wanna go for it now? Morning's coming anyway. Why wait?" Dawn was indeed on its way, and the moon was falling down towards the horizon like a falcon diving out of the sky. Something was definitely not right in that forest, and it was making Allen's blood curdle just thinking about it. The pale exorcist groaned softly, giving a small shiver as the cold wind tossed his hair and coat. Lavi's arms were warm around his chest, but the rest of his body, especially his face, was going numb from the chill. He sighed heavily, holding his hair away from his eyes as he felt Lavi's chin come to rest on his shoulder.

"Ne," Lavi spoke, his warm breath tickling the side of Allen's cheek, "you feelin' all right? Are you seeing something?"

"...yes," Allen spoke back, "A level three akuma. It seems to be targeting something...but my eye cannot see what."

"I bet it's Innocence. Let's go, we don't have time to get Yuu," Lavi raised his face to the cold wind as he released Allen from his grip. Allen nodded and stepped to the edge of the roof, his silvery eyes watching the spot that his left eye had targeted. Lavi pulled his weapon from its holster on his thigh; the hammer was small for now, but with a few whispered words from Lavi it became much larger. The redheaded exorcist stuck the end of the hammer into the snow, ensured that it would not fall over, checked that it was pointing at the spot Allen had specified, and stepped to the edge of the rooftop. "See you there?"

"You will win," Allen teased, leaping off of the roof and onto the street, dashing away into the dark wind of the night. Lavi chuckled.

"Ōzuchi Kozuchi..." he paused, looking over his shoulder to ensure that there was no one watching him, "...extend!" the hammer obeyed, and the handle began to extend over the rooftops of the other buildings with Lavi standing on the end. Traveling by hammer was so convenient, he mused.

Meanwhile, Allen was covering ground more quickly than he had imagined, leaping from rooftop to rooftop of the small buildings that lined the edge of the town. When he finally made it to the forest he exchanged rooftops for tree branches, his acrobatic prowess from his days in the circus helping him get through the thick foliage. He was close to his target now...but where was it?

------

Clang! Iron hammer clashed against akuma armor as Lavi did battle with the creature that he found sniffing around the forest. "Ho, you're pretty tough for an akuma~!" Lavi licked his lips nervously. "Let's see how well you handle my seals!" he gave a small chuckle and slammed his hammer into the ground.

"Kouka Kaijin: Hiban!" A great column of flames erupted from the ground that Lavi's hammer had impacted, engulfing the surprised akuma and sending it flying high into the sky. Lavi had just enough time to smile to himself before the burning-hot pile of armor slammed to the ground, smoldering in a twisted heap of metal and flesh. "So, are you ready to give up?" Lavi asked, an annoyed tone tinting his usually casual voice. The akuma laughed hideously and rose to its feet, a drooling lust for battle on its battered face.

"Like hell!" it snarled. Lavi frowned, shouldering his weapon with a small sigh.

"All right then, sheesh," he spoke coyly. "I'll just--nng!" the akuma slammed its heavy tail into Lavi's ribcage, slamming the redhead into a nearby tree. It cackled triumphantly and scrabbled towards him, eager to get rid of him.

"Crown Edge…! Edge End!" Allen fell from the sky like a snowball, landing upon the beast's head and sinking his long black claws into its side. The creature howled in pain and tried to shake the exorcist off, and Allen barely leaped off of it in time when it careened into a nearby tree.

Lavi chuckled softly and staggered to his feet, clutching at his left side where the akuma's heavy metal tail had struck him. Allen seemed to be saving him a lot lately, a sure sign that he needed to train more when they returned to headquarters in England. _'Feels like I broke some ribs...' _he thought, wincing slightly as he walked to Allen's side. _'Ah well. It could have been a lot worse…'_

"Broken ribs...?" the younger exorcist turned to him and brushed his right hand over Lavi's injured side. The redhead bit his bottom lip and nodded.

"Bruised at least," he was in much more pain than he would show. Allen chuckled softly and shook his head.

"I'd best take care of this poor creature..." Allen mumbled, walking to the injured akuma and resting a hand on its head. "Goodnight, akuma..."

"G-goodnight to me, exorcist?!" the akuma cackled, "it is you who will be going to sleep!" it sank its fangs into Allen's neck and right shoulder and bit down hard, chewing long enough to detonate an explosive toxin in its saliva, which tore the exorcist's shoulder apart and threw him into a nearby tree.

"ALLEN!" Lavi cried, rushing to his comrade's side and falling to his knees, dropping his hammer in the process. He quickly pulled the younger exorcist into his arms and gave him a gentle shake. The trauma of the attack and the impact with the tree had left Allen unconscious, and the akuma was limping towards them hungrily, waiting to take their lives. Lavi closed his eyes and hugged Allen close, praying for a miracle.

This miracle came to them in the form of Yuu Kanda, who descended from the sky and tore into the akuma with his dark katana.

Great. Stupid Usagi and Moyashi had gallivanted off to be heroic and save the Innocence without him. Could the night get any worse? "Mugen," his smooth voice was music to Lavi's ears. "These diots...I wish they would get a clue…" he grunted softly, tightening his grip upon the hilt of his Innocence. "Come, Mugen. Let us get rid of this nuisance." he smiled, his first smile in weeks, and removed his katana from the akuma's side. When the beast lunged forward to rend his flesh open he leaped up and onto its shoulders, stabbing Mugen straight through the top of its skull. With a flick of his wrist he separated the akuma's head from the rest of its body, sending the thing crashing into the ground like a meteor. The head landed a few feet away, dark blood flowing from exposed veins as sparks crackled from broken electric work. Kanda gave a small humph in his usual cold manner before leaping off of the dead akuma and pointing the blood-stained katana at Lavi.

"Get up, Usagi," he growled. "Moyashi will need medical attention."

Lavi dropped his gaze to his unconscious partner. He was way more than concerned, wasn't he? His solitary eye quickly examined the wound on Allen's shoulder, and he gave a grim hiss at the sight of it. Allen was bleeding and possibly dying in his arms, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Almost.

He pressed his back against the tree, using it and his hammer to push himself up as he held Allen close to his chest with his left arm; he winced at the pain in his ribs. "We have to get back to the inn," he mumbled. He slammed the spiked cross on the top of his weapon into the ground. "Ōzuchi Kozuchi, extend!" the hammer responded, taking Lavi and his charge up into the air, arcing over the treetops and towards the center of town.

------

_He was standing in a dark room, alone, with an empty feeling in his heart. He felt sick; his knees were weak. He covered his face with his hands and shook his head violently, trying desperately to rid his mind of that haunting melody that was whirling around within him. It felt like he was falling, falling deeper into the black-and-white of the world that Mana had created in his head, falling into the curse that marked him as a target for akuma and exorcist alike, falling into his stepfather's grave and the Hell that lay beneath it. There was pain, too; there was never pain that came with the music, at least not pain like this, which was eating away at his head, blocking out his memories of Mana, of the circus, and of that naive little boy that he used to be. He was still falling into nothingness, and it felt like he wouldn't come out of it._

_A cold breeze on his face made him stop, calming his nausea and bringing him back to a semi-normal state of mind. "Allen...?" a voice was speaking. It was the voice of an angel to him, sweeter than sticky rice and softer than silk. "Allen...wake up..." A light began to form above his head, just close enough that he could reach it if he jumped._

_ "Lavi..." he reached a hand up towards the light, forcing his feet to jump to reach it. But dark hands leaped from the shadows, wrapping around him and pulling him back down into the Hell he'd just come from._

_ "Allen..."_

_ "Lavi! Help me!!"_

_ "Allen...!"_

_ "LAVI! Crowned Clown!"_

_ The cross on his left hand glowed brightly, casting away the shadows around his arm. White fabric enveloped his arm, then the rest of his body as the white cloak formed around him and the mask settled over his eyes. He was through playing; he wanted to go back to Lavi, get away from this darkness. The touch of his Innocence scared away the shadow hands and gave him the strength he needed to reach the light above him. As he went to the brightness above him, he heard another voice calling out to him, one that he knew very well._

_ 'Mana...I am sorry...'_

_ He did not look back._

------

Allen's eyes fluttered open. Where was he? He glanced around at his surroundings; Lavi looked back at him, surprise in his intense green eye. He gave the redhead a small, pained smile; his arm should have been in extreme pain from the akuma's attack, but his nerves were shot and numb from shock. Was Lavi holding him up? What had happened back there? His brain was scrambled, his thoughts fuzzy; did they get the Innocence?

They touched down on the inn's roof as snow began to fall. Lavi gently set Allen down and softly asked, "Can you stand?" Allen nodded weakly, and a pang of pain shot through his injured shoulder, forcing a sharp gasp between his lips. Lavi frowned as his hammer returned to a manageable length and size. "We desperately need to get you treated. Wait here, I'll go inside for the first-aide kit--" Lavi froze mid-sentence, his eye fixed upon the door that led into the inn.

Allen blinked as a burst of snowy wind tossed his coat around him, obscuring the doorway in the process. The only thing that alerted him to another presence was the quiet tapping of shoes on the stone porch.

"...K-Kanda?"

"Yuu-chan~!" Lavi leaped forward and tossed his arms around the irate Kanda, twirling him around in a warm hug. "I knew you would be here before us~!"

"Get off of me, Usagi!" Kanda barked, wriggling out of the redhead's grip and brushing his uniform off.

"Where were you while we were fighting that akuma?!" Allen replied hotly, clutching his injured arm as the wind took off again, tossing his hair about his pale face. "Your help would have been nice--Lavi was almost had!"

"You _**were**_ had, Moyashi," Kanda muttered, irritated that Allen could yell so loudly in his injured state.

"Ehehe, don't listen to him..." Lavi chuckled, an embarrassed blush creeping up on his face. "I got careless." he winced slightly, remembering his bruised ribs. Allen shook his head and stepped warily towards Kanda and Lavi, taking care to avoid getting too close to the black-haired exorcist.

"You bet you got careless..." he muttered, brushing a hand over Lavi's injured side. Kanda made a face.

"I totally had the situation under control!" Lavi protested.

"Right," Kanda spoke up, resting his hands on his hips and raising an eyebrow. "And that's how you got injured huh? Sounds like Moyashi has the situation grasped better than you do."

"I'm no Moyashi!" Allen barked, a blush tinting his cheeks at Kanda's faint praise. "I'm Allen!" Lavi burst into laughter, and Kanda gave a faint chuckle of amusement; the only thing he enjoyed about Allen Walker was his temper.

"I'd best get a first-aide kit for Allen-kun. He got blown up, Yuu-chan." Kanda pricked at the use of his first name, but Lavi had disappeared into the inn before he had a chance to scold him.

The pregnant silence between Allen and Kanda was uncomfortable for both of them; Kanda hated Allen, and Allen did not understand Kanda. Why Lavi had left them alone was beyond Kanda's grasp. The Japanese exorcist grumbled a soft curse, shoving his hands into his pockets and looking away from the white-haired exorcist beside him. "I…got the Innocence," he muttered, pulling a glowing cube from his pocket and holding it out for Allen to see. Allen's eyes lit up happily; so the mission was a success!

"Where was it?"

"The akuma had eaten it and was going to return it to the Earl," Kanda grumbled. "I had to reach into the thing's guts and dig around for it." Allen made a disgusted face and backed away, afraid he might get sick if he looked at the Innocence any longer.

"I've got the kit!" Lavi leaped back out onto the roof, waving the first-aide kit around enthusiastically. "I also made a call to Headquarters. They're sending someone out to escort us home!" he sat down, pulled Allen down beside him, and began working open the buttons of his jacket.

"Thank you, Lavi," Allen spoke softly, the pain of his injury making him breathless. Lavi smiles to himself and continued working, pushing the heavy black coat away from Allen's wounded shoulder and beginning to undo the buttons of his white undershirt. Kanda looked on in silence, a cross look on his pale face. Lavi hissed at the sight of Allen's torn-up shoulder. He quickly flicked open the first-aide kit and began treating his comrade to the best of his ability, keeping his one eye trained on Allen's face to stop himself from gagging; this was one of the worst injuries he had seen in a long time. He hoped that Allen's collarbone was not broken, and also hoped that no vital veins or arteries in his neck and chest had been damaged.

Lavi glanced up from his work at the sound of shoes on the snowy roof. An old man with a sprig of long, white hair atop his head and black makeup around his eyes was approaching them, his hidden hands folded neatly in front of him. "Ahh--!" Lavi's green eye shimmered happily. "Old man panda~!" he cried, leaping to his feet excitedly and throwing the bottle of antiseptic he had been working with into the air. "Thank God you're here! I can't do anything for Allen-kun like this!"

"Shut up, pup!" the old man's foot met Lavi's face, sending him flying off of the roof and down to the street below. "Of course I came, numbskull! I rushed out here as soon as I heard that Allen Walker was injured! All the way from Headquarters, too!" he snarled angrily.

"S-Sorry, Jijii!" Lavi stammered, cowering in the snow to hide his bleeding face.

Kanda gave a low chuckle and bowed politely to the old man, "Bookman-san. How generous of you to come all this way for the stupid Moyashi."

"Keke, don't thank me yet, Kanda. We still have to return that Innocence to headquarters," the old man knelt at Allen's side and pulled out a long, parchment-like roll of acupuncture needles. "These will relieve the pain, Allen Walker..." he mumbled, and began to work, pressing the needles carefully into Allen's injured flesh. As he worked, he began to speak to Kanda in a low voice, keeping his wise eyes trained on the silver-haired exorcist.

Lavi picked up his head, casting his beautiful green eye to the cloudy sky above them. The return journey would be rough now that his mentor was with them. He grinned to himself as a giggle passed his lips; the mission had been worth it. He felt closer to Allen and Kanda, closer than just comrades in arms working for the same cause. He thought of them now as his friends, his brothers, and his family.

Family; the word tasted good on his tongue. As a Bookman, he had no family or friends because he was not allowed to record history with a bias. But now he had family, two brothers: Allen Walker and Yuu Kanda. He smiled; returning home with his new family would warm the winter stamp of Russia that was chilling his empty heart.

--FIN--

_((A/N: Hope it wasn't too bad/hard on seasoned DGM fans. ^^ Review, please? I look forward to seeing you again in my next story~!_

_--W.S.))_


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